The Return of Midnight
by Charlotte Avery
Summary: Although human and dwelling on a parallel world, the Doctor still attracts danger and is faced with a new creature that he's seen before. Saving the world and Rose has never been more impossible as the Doctor learns about residents of Midnight. ROSE/10.5
1. Chapter 1

**EXTENDED PLOT: The human Doctor isn't about to give up his crazy lifestyle just yet and as always, trouble seems to follow him. From Rose not accepting him to the return of the life form from the episode of season 4, "Midnight," the Doctor finally learns the truth about what the life form is and has to face the destruction of the Parallel World but this time, he has no regeneration to save him.**

**A/N: This is my second story and please forgive any spelling errors or odd grammar and such. I do my writing on my iPod touch from about 12am-3am because I'm a rebel. Haha, just kidding but honestly thanks for all the nice reviews left on my other story, "Second Chances," and if you haven't read it, you should go do that :) Thanks and enjoy the story!**

THE RETURN OF MIDNIGHT  
Part 1

It had been only 3 days, and Rose found herself attending a party. Generously hosted by her attention-hungry mother, a "Welcome Home" celebration was in order for her and the Doctor whom had been staying in a room a floor above her, rarely showing his face other than for dinner.

Rose slid the red lipstick across her lips and slipped into a simple, strapless, floor-length black dress with sparkles and a heart-shaped neckline. She adorned a pair of silver chandelier earrings and grabbed her heels. With one last fluff of her curled hair and a last minute makeup check, she stopped in front of her door and took a deep breath, brushing her hands down her dress.

Just as she opened the door, she saw the Doctor standing before her, dressed in a tuxedo, hair gelled as ever, and eyes more tired than she'd ever seen.

"Hello." Rather than seeing her Doctor, she saw am escourt. Her Doctor would never attend a fancy party with her, let alone be her date to one.

"Hello. So...you look a bit tired," she mentioned casually as he linked his arm in hers. He swallowed.

"Rough night. Still getting used to this. You know, living in a house." Rose laughed and squeezed him closer, trying to force herself to be indifferent with him. He didn't seem to completely buy it, but played along. "So does your mother plan parties for every occasion? Can't imagine what happens when someone has a birthday around here," he teased. Rose grinned.

"Yeah, mum goes a bit overboard with all this. It's almost like she's planning a wedding sometimes." They walked down the long hall of the large mansion.

"Ha, forget birthdays. Imagine what a wedding would be like," he jeered with the same comedic smile she'd seen with her Doctor.

"It's not like she'll have to plan one in her lifetime." Rose suddenly realized what she had said and felt the Doctor droop a bit and his hand that was clenched so tightly in his pocket loosened.

"Yeah, guess not."

The two walked to the top of the stairs in silence and both inhaled, trying to calm their nerves.

"Ready?" the Doctor asked, nervousness slipping through his voice. He didn't do these types of things, considering sleeping in a house seemed to bother him.

"I guess." They walked down the stairs, her mother standing at the bottom and signaling for some photographers to take pictures. Rose tried to cover her face, but failed miserably and had to accept the strange paparazzi flashes. The Doctor not only seemed to hate it, but wore the most terrible smile that clearly described his inability to hide that particular emotion.

They reached the bottom and when the flashes began subsiding, Rose let go of the Doctor's arm and ran through the hall to the backyard. The Doctor watched carefully as she tore the back door open and she trodded into the highly useless but overly expensive hedge maze.

"Gosh, that girl has a complete opposition to cameras, yeah?" Jackie yelled over some music. The Doctor shrugged.

"Wouldn't blame her."

"Oi, have you seen Pete?" The Doctor shook his head.

"Just got down."

"Oh he's probably still driving home. Had him drop off little Toni at a friends. You know Lucy Peddington? My goodness! That woman has more children than she can count and she still wants more! So I said, 'Well, if you're so desperate for more devilish spawn, then you're welcome to watch my Toni tomorrow night,' and she got all excited, let me tell you! And then-" Before the Doctor could handle any more, he quickly cut her off, determined to stay by Rose.

"That's real nice, Jackie, but I've gotta go. Lovely talk." With an irritated humph from Jackie, the Doctor pushed through crowds of endless, unknown faces, finally reaching the yard. It was pitch black except for the moon and stars. And the Doctor sighed, wishing more than anything to fly off to them instead of stay grounded. It was so...human.

He entered the maze and walked through, not sure how to find Rose in such an ominous space. As the path darkened by the overwhelming hedges, the Doctor still heard the booming of base from inside the house and sighed. He wasn't even quote sure what the party was for. They had never even heard of him before and Rose hadn't been gone all of that long. Had she?

Pushing his way through some untrimmed branches, the Doctor thought about his time here. He had spent a good percentage of his short stay in his room, tossing and turning, trying to sleep. But he couldn't get over the fact that he was on the ground, not circling the sun or about to crash on some never before seen planet. Without the stars right by his side, he seemed ten times as lonely and to make things worse, Rose didn't seem to want him quite the way she had indicated on Bad Wolf Bay. She was always rejecting his motions, and staying locked up didn't exactly help either. He didn't feel like the Doctor anymore. He felt more like a ridiculously cruddy boyfriend.

He felt like Mickey.

Because the real Doctor was out there somewhere, and she was diligently waiting while the stuck-to-earth Doctor was willing to come when she called, whether or not it was because she wanted just to see him. All he wanted was to see her.

He crept through the shrubbery, still trying to find Rose. When a small cry lept from behind another bush, he knew he'd found her. But the problem was the tears. He'd only ever seem her cry once, and it tore him to pieces. He walked past the bush and saw the slumped shape of Rose, keeled over her knees and face in hands. What was she crying about anyway?

"Um, Rose?" the Doctor croaked. He had absolutely no idea on how to approach the situation. She stopped sobbing, but he could tell that she was still desperately trying to stop the tears from falling. With an awkward nod, she declared that she was fine.

"I never asked. And 'fine' is a very subjective word." The Doctor came and sat down next to her on the cold stone bench that was placed tactfully in the middle of the maze. With a sigh of distaste for awkward silences, the Doctor pressed his palms into the stone, leaned back, and stared up at the stars. "I was going to take you to so many places," he said. "Starting with," he pointed into the dark nothingness as if she could tell which star he meant, "there. Right there. Magnificent place. Purple gems cover more than half the city and the other half is plated in gold. And they recently declared planetary bankruptcy! Ridiculous..."

Rose suddenly put a hand on his heart, almost gripping the fabric a bit too tightly. His eyes widened and traveled to where her hand was placed. She let herself drown in the steady beat but like always, there was something missing. Oh yeah, a second heart. The Doctor, running on instinct and adrenaline, took hold of her hand and held it there, not wanting to let go.

"I don't know what I'm doing. I'm just...I don't know...and my mum is driving me mad!" Rose gritted through her teeth. The Doctor supressed a grin, seeing as her face was still serious and straight. "I'm just 'fine' because I don't know what to do with myself anymore." The Doctor laced his fingers through hers and squeezed tightly. He had no knowledge of what he himself was doing or why he was doing it. His former self prior to his confession would have never savored Rose's touch or taken in every word with such a care. Perhaps he'd hear what she had said but shrug it off and explain what new species had recently arrived in the universe.

But he was different.

And Rose was completely right to hate him for it. She'd fallen in love with a man who was in love with the stars. He still was, but couldn't reach them. In losing traveling, he'd lost half of himself. And now, he was losing Rose...

"Rose, tell me," the Doctor said, struggling to say the words he'd never spoken, "what's wrong." He choked on every syllable, dragging out each vowel. It was a personal level he'd rather not cross, a boundary left untouched by what little timelord sanity he had left within him.

Her eyes pierced his and he felt her hand lightly slide up his left shoulder and graze the skin of his neck on the path to his face. Her fingers landed on his left cheek and they simultaneously leaned in. The Doctor's lips brushed hers and she pushed in for a rough and strained kiss, her lips moving against his violently.

What happened next happened very quickly. The ground in front of them cracked and Rose cringed, her fingers scraping against the Doctor's skin and teeth ripping across his lower lip. She leaned back and covered her head, curling into a semi-ball as if something had pierced her midriff.

"Rose? Rose!" the Doctor cried, grabbing her shoulders. Several minutes passed before she slowly raised her head and looked at him with horror-stricken eyes, empty and colourless. "Rose, are you alright...?" he half-whispered, cocking his head to one side.

And to his surprise, she did the same. What she said next took every bit of human breath from his lungs.

"Rose, are you alright...?"


	2. Chapter 2

THE RETURN OF MIDNIGHT  
Part 2

Rushing past the stunned people that were wasted and dancing ridiculously across the large floor, the Doctor dragged a motionless Rose across the room, trying not to speak. But Jackie's convenient appearance ruined that.

"Oh my- what the 'ell have you done to Rose? She looks like she's seen a ghost!" Jackie screeched, Pete walking up behind her with the same horrified expression. The Doctor shook his head, avoiding speech. He nodded towards the upper floors and lifted Rose into his arms as he carried her up the stairs, her parents following.

"What on earth is going on?" shouted Pete from the back of the line. All the party guests on the first floor had by now disreguarded the strange spectacle and returned to their drunk dancing, spilling alcohol all over fancy tuxes and dresses. The Doctor once again shook his head and kept running, his arms getting a bit tired from carrying Rose who was staring at him eerily with stolen eyes.

Finally they reach the second floor after climbing the marble, spiral staircase and all piled into one room. The Doctor motioned for Pete and Jackie to stay and he bolted off to another room, gently laying Rose on a bed in a vacant guest room. She gave him one last terrorized glance before he tore his eyes away, ran out, and shut the door behind him.

He sprinted back to Rose's awaiting parents and came in with a heaving chest. Their faces clearly expressed their irratation and the Doctor threw both hands with pointed index fingers toward the ceiling in his defense.

"Now listen. I've seen this before and I never quite figured out what it was. It's a new lifeform that's only recently turned up. Why, I have no idea. And how it got here is even more mind-boggling," he spat at about 90 miles an hour. "Oh; mind-boggling. Don't really like that word...boggling." Turning his attention back to Jackie and Pete, he saw crossed arms and hands on hips. He sighed. "I'll fix this, Jackie. I promise. Just give me some time and I'll-"

"What I don't get a promise?" Pete scoffed.

"I'll tell you why: you won't murder me in my sleep if I don't promise you. Jackie on the otherhand-"

"Yeah you sure as hell will fix this! Why's it that danger follows you wherever you go, human or not? My goodness! It's like your a death magnent! If I don't see Rose back to normal and not- not possessed with whatever alien crap that is, then I WILL murder you in your sleep, Doctor." Jackie hissed, pointing a threatening finger at him. He inhaled deeply.

"Promise." The Doctor dismissed them and Jackie naturally not wanting to ruin a perfect party even though the two stars weren't present, ran out with Pete right behind her. The Doctor ran a hand through his hair and wondered how he would do anything without his sonic screwdriver handy.

He couldn't talk to Rose because if this was anything like he'd seen before, then it would pass into him and he would soon be possessed. But even worse, Rose would be heavily affected, having seen that even after the "thing" passed out of him, it seemed to never quite leave the body. And he didn't want to see her...

The Doctor ran down the hallway to where Rose was, and in the hall, he heard the same deafening crack and quake that he'd heard earlier when Rose had become possessed. He began to panic and ran even faster. He shoved open the door to see Rose motionless on the floor, not breathing.

Fear ran through his veins and he bolted to her side, turning her over. She sucked in a quick and staggered breath, opened her eyes, and began to cough violently. The Doctor effortlessly lifted her up onto the bed and gently brushed the hair from her eyes.

"Rose?" He waited for a response.

"Doctor." Rose coughed again, having an even more violent fit. The Doctor cradled her head, afraid and not sure what to do. Whatever it was had left her, but didn't pass into someone else. However, the earthquake and loud noise certainly had something to do with it. He breathed a sigh of relief. After a few minutes of silence, Rose returned to a normal state and squeezed his hand.

"Listen. I'm gonna fix this. I just need to fix something else first." He leaned in and Rose's heart skipped a beat. "I need a screwdriver," he said quietly and she smiled.

"Tell me first." He raised an eyebrow.

"Tell you what?" Just as she opened her mouth speak, the crack sounded again and Rose lurched forward, the Doctor catching her. She covered her face and with a dark expression, turned to look at him.

"Oh no," he whispered.

"Oh no," she repeated.

After severeal tweaks and twists, the Doctor lifted up his prized, sonic screwdriver, the blue bulb shining brightly. He buzzed it a few times and grinned. As he jumped to his feet, his grin was suddenly wiped from his face.

What was he going to do now? He knew nothing about the life form from his trip to Midnight and certainly had no idea now simply because time had changed. He frowned. He had a sonic screwdriver and his more-than-clever brain, but what could he do? He wiped a small bead of sweat from his brow and looked around at the dark, empty garage. There was absolutely nothing in here that could help...

And with that, the crack sounded again. Surely the drunkards and Tylers were beginning to notice by now. Unless they were so intoxicated, it wasn't a bother. He ran upstairs, running through the crowd of wasted dancers, Jackie joining the crowd with her husband right behind her. It was almost midnight and the party had been ongoing for almost 4 hours now.

The Doctor continued to bolt up the steps, bursting into the room where Rose was. This time, however, she looked much worse. Pale, coughing, and a new bruise on her cheek, she fell from the bed and lay in a heap on the floor. He ran to her side, dropping to his knees. He gently turned her over. He couldn't keep doing this; it was a constant leave, a wait for the bang, and all he could see was that this creature was damaging her. If it went on any longer, Rose would be...

"Doctor..." The Doctor's head shot up from Rose and searched the room. He could see nothing and continued to look for the source of the gurgly hiss.

"Doctor..." the hiss came again. This time, he stood up, adorned his screwdriver, and pointed it at the bed where he thought the voice had come from. A terrible scratching noise came from beaneath the bed and he took a step forward, careful not to step on Rose who was barely conscious.

"Show yourself!" he shouted, keeping his eyes glued to the area in front of him. The scratching continued. It almost sounded like something was dragging it's way across the floor...

"No need to shout," the sloshy and venom-filled voice spat. And with the blue light now aimed at the floor, he watched as the owner of the voice emerged.


	3. Chapter 3

THE RETURN OF MIDNIGHT  
Part 3

A ghostly figure dragged itself out from beneath the bed. It seemed to more a person that had been, and although it didn't have the same glow of ghost, it was extremely faded and almost transparent. It was slightly tattered and broken, and when a small wave of pity hit the Doctor, he quickly pushed it away.

It looked as if it had come from a horror movie.

It continued to drag itself forward and finally stopped at the Doctor's feet. The Doctor crouched down to be at its eye level.

"What are you...?" the Doctor thought aloud. The ghost grinned the most frightening grin he'd seen.

"Midaxtrom. From the planet Midnight. Distant relation to the Krilitanes. Perhaps you've heard of them?" the ghost crunched between labored breathing. Its a see-through saliva dripped to floor and fogged up its speech. "Only difference is that we seem to get all the worst features. And how lovely it is to finally meet the Doctor in the flesh." The Doctor's face hardened.

"How have I not heard of your species before?" he asked, more of a thought to himself than a question to the so called Midaxtrom.

"Our kind keeps quiet. Never making a sound."

"Until now." It smiled.

"Of course! Forgot to introduce myself. My name is Feracsh." It leaned on its ribs and lifted an hand that couldn't be gripped to shake. The Doctor refused and grimaced its deathly appearance.

"Before we get to first name basis," the Doctor said sarcastically, "I need to know what you are, how you got here, and the hell you're doing to Rose." Feracsh laughed venomously.

"So impatient, Doctor. Thought we would be having a nice conversation over tea but you just want the basics?" it laughed.

"Oh. And that's another thing. How do you know who I am?" Ferasch frowned darkly and put its head in its hands.

"One question at a time. Let's start with question number one. I'm a shapeshifter. Can't really shift into much but two forms, but it's certainly worth it. My first and most basic form is this and my second form is what you see inside possessed people. Problem about this earth is that without the extonic sunlight, I have to continually switch back and forth so I don't drain either form. It wasn't a problem until recently, which shows that I won't last much longer. But nevermind that. Everytime I pull out of someone, I damage myself, hence how faded I am," it said, motioning at itself. "We're not meant to pull out. Once we're in, we're built to simply pass on and leave pieces of ourselves within people. But when the original carrier, meaning the first person that's been occupied, dies, we die with them. It's unfortunate and far from promising process, really."

This part of their conversation explained most of his trip to Midnight, but his quizzical expression easily showed that there was still missing information. And why was this ghost giving away all of this information? Was it secret? Or was it simply telling him because the Doctor literally had no way of stopping it?

"But why? Why the possession and the passing on, and the killing?" he questioned, thoroughly frustrated.

"But Doctor. We don't kill. We change. We change them in ways they'd never believe. New ideas running through their heads, Doctor. New life!" Ferasch explained excitedly. The Doctor frowned.

"New life? You call possessing someone and filling their head with someone else's thoughts, 'New life'? I'd call it identity theft," the Doctor snarled. Ferasch gurgled a dark laugh.

"Charming, you are Doctor. But if you want to know why we do it, it's so that we can gain information."

"For what?"

"To share. With our kind. Never know when something could be useful. Our species deals with the trade of secret information," Ferasch said. The Doctor put his free hand to his temples, trying to process its words.

"However, our generation decided that our quiet life was better than dying to occasionally get a few secrets out of a stupid human. So we kept to ourselves. Until you came, Doctor." The Doctor looked up in suprise. "So...full of them. Teeming with secrets and information that could help the whole of mankind."

"And create a generation of theives like your ancestors." The Doctor eyed the pitiful creature. "You'd be selfish. Helping only your kind."

"And you would be one to talk, dark Doctor. Rescuing the dispensable lives of insignificant humans but in the process killing off so many others. Just to save the ones that meant something to you. But they're all gone now anyway, right? Except her. Lucky you." The Doctor put a stoic expression on.

"That doesn't matter. You were saying something about my thoughts?" he said, distracting Ferasch.

"But all that knowledge. You didn't have it for nothing. It was protected. Locked up. One of our brothers saw everything in your head but he was unable to retrieve any of it. Because you, Time Lord, know much more than the whole universe." The Doctor looked at Rose, who was still damgerously motionless on the ground.

"And even after that you've come back to try again, even when you failed?" Ferasch gave him a menacing grin.

"Never stopped you," he pointed out, "but that was not our reasoning. Now, Doctor, you are no longer Time Lord. But human, and vulnerble. An easier access. Your thoughts are worth every universe in existence and now that we can get inside your head properly...oh yes, Doctor. Things look brighter up ahead." The Doctor's face grew dark.

"It isn't as easy as it sounds."

"But poor, poor Doctor. How can you resist such a young, pretty face..." Ferasch rambled, dragging a nail across Rose's blank face, drawing blood. Obviously being faded didn't make you untouchable. The Doctor grabbed Ferasch's wrist.

"Don't."

"Or what? Doctor, we know you. What will you do? Offer us a place to live in peace? An alternative? Zap me senseless with a screwdriver?" Ferasch worked at him. He could see the Doctor growing angrier. His knowledge made it possible for Ferasch to push the right buttons.

"Sooner than later, Doctor, you won't resist her anymore. You'll have to speak to her eventually. Or are you so selfish to keep her locked in a dark room to spare your own brain?"

"You don't understand. If this information is known to anyone but myself, it could destroy the foundation of time. Even you know that. You'd be destroyed."

"But you're the one who is forgetting. Only the universe in which we stand will be destroyed. This parallel earth and solar system and space will be demolished but the true world where we both come from, will be safe between the gaps. Untouched."

"And you'll die."

"A suicide bomber." The Doctor had no other opposing words to offer. "It's for the good of mankind. Once this world has perished, my brothers create a precedent. And it is from that they will base your head off of. Everything that brings the destruction of this universe will he avoided, bringing another Golden Age. We aren't stupid," Ferasch said matter-of-factly.

"So you have your 'Golden Age.' But what about Rose? You're not exactly pocket-sized. Everytime you pull out, you're not just damaging yourself, you're-"

"Damaging her in the process. She's dispensable. Unimportant. So someone dies. What's it to me and my brothers?"

"But if she dies, you die." Ferasch grinned maniacally.

"See, I highly doubt that. By the time she dies, what kind of lover wouldn't be at her side, talking, heaven forbid, sweet nothings into her ear? And so, Doctor. Our human; so SO human Doctor, you become so vulnerable. So open. So...helpless," he whispered the last word teasingly. The Doctor grabbed Ferasch's shoulder, digging his fingers into the almost unnoticable flesh.

"You can't."

"Oh Doctor! Offer us peace. Make us a pact. Species united," Ferasch joked, trying to keep from laughing madly. The Doctor loosened his grip and looked back at Rose.

All the times he had found himself helpless, every pivotal moment when he thought the world was crashing around him, he always had a last minute plan. He'd always come out alive. He would have some ridiculous idea that saved the day and every stupid ape on planet earth, but right now, he was clueless. He really felt absolutely helpless. Without his TARDIS, he was trapped with the thought of knowing that Rose was about to die at the end of the world and he would die watching it all unfold?

And just much as he hated the thought of traveling alone, he didn't want to die alone.


	4. Chapter 4

THE RETURN OF MIDNIGHT  
Part 4

Dying alone.

It was frightening. It was the opposite of what he wanted and now he was facing it.

Ferasch sat in front of the Doctor with his eyes closed and since he knew there was nothing he could do, he left him. But then again, if the Doctor was just dark enough...

"What happens if I kill you?" the Doctor murmured, his fingers entwined with Rose's, who was now breathing, but sleeping. It felt as if they were all lying on their death beds, simply waiting to die.

"Then I've failed." Ferasch replied casually. The Doctor traced a finger around the palm of Rose's hand, causing her to stir. The Doctor thoroughly hoped the door was locked. Jackie Tyler walking in on a scene such as this might cause an earthquake or volcane to erupt. But she was probably too drunk to even see anyway.

"And that's it?" the Doctor asked curiously. Ferasch looked at him, but the Doctor refused to look back.

"And that's it." The Doctor checked Rose's pulse for the millionth time. He was still confused. If all he had to do was kill this single pilot fish, then the war was over. Or was it?

"Listen to me, Doctor. When I say we know you, we know your every thought, dream, hope, desire. For example: when Rose walked out in heels ready for the 50's, mind you, you were thinking what it would be like to get her-"

"Shut it." the Doctor hissed, unintentionally squeezed Rose's hand a bit tighter. Ferasch smiled evilly.

"Anyways, Doctor, my point is this: we know you enough to know that you would never kill. Not on purpose of course. So I'm as safe as the contents of a box with a deadlock seal," Ferasch explained. The Doctor clenched his free hand into a fist and bottled up his anger. They're plan worked well. In fact, it was completely brilliant. He'd never have the strength to kill someone or something, let alone risk everyone's life to save his own. He was human now and bound to die anyway, but this certainly wasn't what he had imagined.

When he came to this earth with Rose, he had expected a normal life and if he was lucky, a bit of trouble. And now, he had more trouble on his hands than he could handle. Ferasch stirred.

"Once she wakes, you know what happens," he warned, as if there was something that could be done. The Doctor felt his eyes begin to water. He felt so...human. So helpless. Is this what being human felt like? He didn't care for it much...

The Doctor pressed his lips to her hand and wished she could forgive him. It was because of him that she was here and that she wasn't travelling with her proper Doctor. It was his fault the this whole bloody universe was about to blink out of existence and he could do nothing.

"Doctor..." Rose moaned, finally gripping his hand back. A sad smile spread across his face.

"I'm, here, Rose." She left her eyes closed. Her body was unmoving.

"I'm going to...going...Doctor I'm..." Rose struggled to focus on what words to say and which ones made sense. The Doctor held her hand to his chest, Ferasch simply watching with pleasure next to the bed.

"What, Rose?" he whispered into the palm of her hand.

"I'm fading. Doctor, my head. Hurts. Always hurting," she said slowly. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he saw Ferasch smirk in the corner of his eye. "I love..." Just as she was about to finish her sentence, her eyes fluttered open and she became more alert. Usually, this would be a good thing, but now, he wished she could sleep until it all went away.

"Rose," the Doctor mumbled. She looked at him, her eyes sick and face pale. She saw his tear and felt her own eyes watering. She had no idea what was going on, but it must be sad enough for the Doctor to cry. She has something only seconds before, right? Something about fading. Oh yes. SHE was fading. And just as she began sobbing uncontrollably, the Doctor looked around the room to see that Ferasch had disappeared. And then, with closed eyes, the Doctor heard the loud bang and felt Rose's hand hold his in a tighter and frightening way that didn't belong to Rose. He sighed, choking a sob. He'd never cried in his life like this until now.

"Goodbye, Rose." He pressed another kiss to her hand. "I love you," he whispered, saying the words he wish he had said so much more. He felt her body grow cold.

"I love you," she repeated in voice that wasn't hers, although he wished she could've said it. Any more chatting and he'd bring the destruction of a whole universe. He dropped her hand and retracted from the alert form that sat on the floor that had once been Rose. And with that, he shut the door.

Leaning against the door, trying to repress sobs, the Doctor covered his mouth to muffle the sound. Either way, she would die and there was absolutely nothing that he could do about it. He had come so far and yet he was now losing everything that mattered to him. Ferasch would have to come out eventually, but as Rose died, he would simply possess her again and get stronger with every word each time and easily access his head.

And it felt terrible.

He walked to his room, and after shutting the door behind him, he stared at his relection in the full-length mirror, wondering who he had become. He no longer saw himself, but a complete stranger with a single beating heart and no longer standing tall, but hunched over and crippled with the age of knowledge. And what a sad sight it was.

He pulled off his bowtie and threw it on the bed. This had been his third quest in a tuxedo and he rather disliked it. It felt too much like a movie. He shed his costume for his blue suit and tie that Rose had quietly mentioned she preferred on the ride home from the beach and sat on the bed.

Perhaps there was a way out. He had always found one before, and who was to say there wasn't one now? Although things looked dismal and hopeless, all it took was a small spark of hope to get the Doctor started.

And that's when, all alone and feeling like the world was about to end, his half Time Lord mind got the most brilliant idea of all.

**A/N: Alright thanks for reading but sadly, because I'm the BEST writer, (do I sense sarcasm?) I have no idea what this brilliant idea that the Doctor has come up with is. So, because I'm curious to see what you think, please leave me comment/review not only for the story, but help me out for the next chapter. If I use your idea, I'll be sure to post your name at the beginning of the next chapter. If I don't find what I'm looking for or no one posts anything, then HA. Too bad for me. I'll eventually come up with something…Help is much appreciated and thank you so much for reading! :)**


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